Ethiopia 'withdraws from military base in Somalia'published at 09:02
BBC Monitoring
News from around the globe
Ethiopian troops have pulled out of a key military base in central Somalia that was attacked by the al-Shabab militant group, the privately-owned Warqaad news website, external reports.
"Residents say the Ethiopian forces withdrew from el-Ali in Hiiraan region following a recent al-Shabab attack," the website says.
Al-Shabab's Radio Andalus said the Ethiopians "destroyed the base" before abandoning it in the early hours of this morning.
It added that "hundreds of apostate militiamen left" with the Ethiopian forces. Pro-al-Shabab media use the term "apostate" to refer to Somali troops and government officials.
El-Ali lies some 70 km west of Beledweyne, the regional capital.
The Ethiopian soldiers, who are part of an African Union peacekeeping force, are responsible for securing Bay, Bakol, and Gedo regions but are also present in Hiiraan which borders Ethiopia.
